Cohasset’s selectmen have halted their investigation into anonymous comments made on The Patriot Ledger’s website, remarks that initially had officials considering subpoenaing the paper for the identities of the commentators.

After being advised by town counsel that they couldn’t subpoena The Ledger, selectmen voted Tuesday to suspend their investigation and wait to see how separate legal action regarding the online comments, brought on by private Cohasset citizens, plays out.

Selectman Diane Kennedy said it’s a “slippery slope” if the town chose to continue investigating these online comments.

“Where does it end? How many people are going to come here, asking us to do an investigation of comments?” Kennedy said.

The Patriot Ledger’s website allows commenting on stories posted online. Most who comment use a screen name or pseudonym.

At the April 16 selectmen’s meeting, Ronnie McMorris, a former Cohasset selectman, and her husband, David, raised concerns about specific comments made online, urging the board to find out the identities of the posters by attaining the IP (Internet Protocol) and email addresses of certain posters.

The couple have sought their own legal action to try to get this information, Selectmen Chairman Paul Carlson said.

Concerned the online comments might have been posted by a town employee on a town computer, the selectmen launched its own investigation April 16 and until last week considered subpoenaing The Ledger. Carlson said his board has been advised by Town Counsel Paul DeRensis that the selectmen had no legal grounds to issue such a subpoena.

The board voted, however, to meet with its legal counsel at a future meeting to determine what options the town might have to find out if a town employee posted the comments using a town computer. Until then, Carlson said, they will wait to see what the McMorrises find out.

“If they were able to come up with evidence that (the comments) came from a town computer, we could proceed from there,” Carlson said.

If the selectmen knew the comments were made on a town-owned computer, Carlson said the board could ask the town’s chief technology officer to search every town computer to check past usage.

Acting Town Manager Michael Milanoski said searching the computers without evidence that an employee used one of them inappropriately raises some issues about First Amendment rights.

Milanoski suggested instead that the town rework its computer-usage policy that all employees must adhere to.

“We have a policy; there are flaws in it,” Milanoski said. “We need to enhance that policy.”

Patrick Ronan may be reached at pronan@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.